The second fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill up in the House this year is H.R. 2055, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. Traditionally one of the less controversial spending bills, this one was reported out of the Appropriations Committee on 24 May by voice vote. (Here’s the committee report.) The bill contains $127,796,852,000 in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, a 5.8% increase from current spending levels. It also contains $14,014,047,000 for military construction, a 15.7% decrease from current spending levels. In total, the bill spends $142,032,269,000 in the upcoming fiscal year and provides advanced appropriations of $52,541,000,000 for FY 2013 VA medical programs.
I’ll break up the tables for this bill into the three different areas mentioned in the bill’s title.
Appropriations for Department of Defense military construction:
| Budget Item | Proposed FY2012 Spending |
|---|---|
| Military Construction | $11,777,859,000 |
| NATO Security Investment Organization | $272,611,000 |
| Family Housing Construction | $1,693,062,000 |
| Homeowners Assistance Fund | $1,284,000 |
| Chemical Demilitarization Construction | $75,312,000 |
| Base Closure Accounts | $632,319,000 |
Appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs:
| Budget Item | Proposed FY2012 Spending |
|---|---|
| Veterans Benefits Administration | $69,334,833,000 |
| Veterans Health Administration (FY2013) | $53,049,774,000 |
| National Cemetery Administration | $250,934,000 |
| Departmental Administration | $6,772,714,000 |
And finally, appropriations for related agencies:
| Budget Item | Proposed FY2012 Spending |
|---|---|
| American Battle Monuments Commission | $61,100,000 |
| U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims | $30,770,000 |
| Cemeterial Expenses, Army | $45,800,000 |
| Armed Forces Retirement Home | $67,700,000 |
The most controversial policy rider on this bill is section 415, which blocks the enforcement of an executive order that encourages executive agencies to consider the use of project labor agreements in connection with large-scale construction projects.
Like the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, the Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill will be considered under an open rule, with any amendment in order that conforms to House rules. (And gets moved quickly enough–a couple amendments were blocked yesterday because they didn’t get offered at the right time.) The rule also provides for a separate vote on retaining Title II (Department of Veterans Affairs funding). Not sure what that’s about.
[...] House is considering H.R. 2055, the FY2012 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. This is the second general appropriations bill to be considered in the House for fiscal year 2012. [...]
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